Spring construction



Jan. 3, 1939. G. sTmsoN E AL 2,142,259

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS ON QXQXQXIDIOX 620cm? 2527725072 fire/273 6 jfrza rzc/fsorz J/ZUEE'Ef0/J' Patented Jan. 3, 1939 SPRING CONSTRUCTION George Stinson, Gardner, and Severine Hendrickson, Templeton, Mass, assignors to Heywood- Wakefield Company, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 3,

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved spring construction for use in upholstering chairs, couches and various other articles of furniture.

The object of the invention is to provide a spring construction in the form of a compact assembly of individual coil springs firmly secured together as a unit which may be readily utilized in unholstering articles of furniture. The unitary spring construction of the presentinventionisparticularly characterized by the provision of binding wires so formed that the coil springs may be secured thereto, without the possibility of the coil springs working loose after the construction has been embodied in an article of furniture. The above and other advantageous features of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a unitary spring construction embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, on an enlarged scale, showing a portion of the construction of Fig. 1.

Fig, 4 is a perspective view further illustrating the manner of securing a coil spring to a binding wire.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Referring to the drawing, the spring construction comprises a plurality of individual coil springs I which may be of any desired form, the springs I being held together in a compact assembly by means of edge binding wires 2 and cross binding wires 3 extending between the peripheries of adjacent rows of springs I. All of the springs I in the outer rows are secured to the edge binding 2 at their points of tangency by means of clips 4, and similar clips 4 serve to secure tangent portions of adjacent springs to the cross binding wires 3.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, each binding wire 2 or 3 consists of a relatively straight core strand 5, and an outer strand 6 wrapped around the strand 5 in a helix of relatively wide pitch. The resulting binding wire possesses considerable stiffness, although it may be bent at the corners of the spring construction to approximate the curvature of the individual springs I.

Each clip 4 consists of a strip of relatively thin metal, of such length that its ends will overlap when the strip is bent into the form of a 1936, Serial No. 57,386

sleeve surrounding a binding wire 2 or 3 and a peripheral portion of a spring I.

It is evident from Fig. 4 that when a clip 4 is so bent and pressure applied, the resulting sleeve will be deformed by the outer strand 6 of the binding wire. That is to say, the clip will not be in the form of a cylindrical sleeve, but on the contrary, will have an unsymmetrical form determined by the irregular contour of that portion of the binding wire which the clip engages. As a result, the clips 4 will not be of uniform appearance after they have been applied, each clip being deformed according to where it happens to engage the irregular surface of the outer strand 6.

It is apparent, from aconsideration of Figs. 3 and 4, that it is practically impossible for any slippage to occur between a binding wire 2 or 3 and the tangent portion of a spring I, due to the tight frictional engagement between these parts and the deformed portions of the enclosing clip i. As a result, the assembly of springs I and binding Wires 2 and 3, shown in Fig. 1, forms a unitary construction in which the springs I cannot work loose under the most severe service conditions, after the spring structure has been incorporated in an article of furniture. It is to be noted that the springs I at the corners of the structure and in the end rows, are held by three clips, while the remaining springs are held by at least two clips, with all the clips tightly holding the springs and binding wires against relative movement, by reason of their initial bending into unsymmetrical form when applied.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that by the present invention there is provided an improved spring construction for use in upholstering various articles of furniture, characterized by the securing together of assembled springs and binding wires in substantially unitary form.

We claim:

1. A spring construction comprising a plurality of coil springs arranged in a row in spaced relation, with their axes parallel and with corresponding end coils in the same plane, binding wire extending along adjacent springs in a row in tangential relation to the end coils thereof, said binding wire consisting of a core strand and a second strand wound helically around said core strand, with a wide pitch, to leave portions of said core strand exposed, and clips securing end coils of adjacent springs to said binding wire at intervals, each clip being in the form of a sleeve embracing an end coil and deformed to closely engage the binding wire along the irregular constrand, with a wide pitch, to leave portions of said core strand exposed, and clips securing end coils of pairs of springs in different rows to said binding wire, each clip being in the form of a sleeve embracing both end coils and being deformed to closely engage the binding wire along the irregular contour of the helically wound strand, and on the exposed portions of said core strand between convolutions.

GEORGE STINSON.

SEVERINE HENDRICKSON. 

